The Chinese proverb quoted in 1.1 explains a lot about Hands-On Networking. Professor Comer has written some very good books, and you can learn a great deal from them, but his point is that you have to learn-by-doing if you "Really Want To Understand Computer Networking".

It is remarkable how much has changed since I first taught a course in computer networks in 1994. Students know more about the subject coming in, and many of them have access to networks in their homes or where they work. In the Fall of 2001 I asked the networks class how many had networks in their home. More than half of the students raised their hands. This gives today's students a great deal of opportunity to do things such as sniff packets for analysis. As I write this on March 14, 2002, the failure of the dotcoms has produced a silver lining in terms of the used equipment available at low prices. A friend just yesterday bought a Sun Ultra 5 on ebay for $295 including keyboard and mouse. PC's are routinely replaced by schools, businesses, and individuals after three years or so, and many of those older machines make great Linux boxes. The idea of just building a network just to have one is not far fetched.